The Carrier of Nine
by BetaMayhem
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki has emerged victorious in his latest scuffle with the powers of that be...but it doesn't stop there. In the wake of Percy's most recent "School Attempt", another trial steps into his path...is it so simple? Things are never so simple as this...whats going to happen? What new calamity will make its presence known? Only one question is on Naruto's mind..is there Ramen?


**Hello Readers! It's been some time.**

 **For those who care, feel free to read my note on the bottom, there will be some answers there related to the update schedule of this story, the future of this story, and so on.**

 **Please enjoy the, again, rewritten chapter.**

 **Chapter One:**

Idle wind chimes seemed to vibrate the very breath of the wild landscape. Shivers that made your skin prickle like it was lightly shocked, as if to remind you that you were alive.

It was sunny, though not without several heavy clouds burdening the sky. A wide swath of wild grasses and flowers populated the landscape, healthy white trees surrounding this small sunlit clearing. Animals of all shapes and sizes were gathering, large numbers hardly quantified the volume. Animals small and tall were all huddled together, encircling a lone figure atop a large angled stone.

It was a person.

He was tall, lean, with blond spikes that seemed to defy the sun in their golden radiance. Eyes that reflected the blues of the deep ocean, and the heightened skies that stretched on for miles. Limitless, piercing, and above all…completely unfocused.

This person clearly had no idea what was happening in their surroundings.

He sat lazily, legs hanging off the edge a few feet above the earth. His hands were knitted together, elbows resting on his knees as he seemed to stare at the skies as if to compete with its infinite expanse. Birds circled him, landing on his cloaked shoulders and picking at its tail as it rested on the rock behind him.

He twitched, and blinked. He stirred, slowly rotating his shoulders, and breathing a loose, free exhale. His hair swayed in the sudden breeze that welcomed his alertness, and he blinked a few times rapidly at the surrounding crowd.

He rubbed his eyes with a finger and thumb, muttering to himself something incomprehensible…though if you had to make a guess, it went something like this.

"Stupid Demi-Gods get into more trouble that I do…and that's saying something."

" **Summons?"** a voice echoed within the boys mind, and he smiled. "Always Isobu, always, just when I finally sit down too."

" **Naruto, you've been sitting there since sunset…of yesterday."** Gyuki chimed in, not at all afraid to spill some fact.

Naruto stretched languidly, relishing on the euphoric feeling that it gave him, "What can I say? I was caught up in thought."

" **You also managed to attract the natural life in large numbers. Quit being a pain, they probably thought you wanted to talk."** Son Goku commented idley, looking over at the group through his host's eyes.

Naruto blinked, before scanning the crowd. The animals bowed their head in recognition, and he cringed internally, 'damn, it really is my fault.'

" **Why you're surprised I have no idea."**

Naruto stood up, now looking far more like an authority figure, "I do apologize, I came to this clearing to ease my mind. Please, continue with your own lives, I did not mean to disrupt."

The animals seemed to absorb that slowly, before moving off, giving him a few more bows of acknowledgement, and heading off their own ways. The entire crowd seemed to disappear into the tree's shadows, vanishing like liquid.

" **Where to?"** Kokuo asked calmly, though there was a noticeable edge, as if she already knew the answer and didn't like it.

'Camp, apparently Percy can't survive his first day without causing problems of some kind.'

" **Are we really surprised? He bears the blood of the apparent… "Big Three"**. **"** Another voice said in clear disbelief of the title, Matatabi had an unimpressed yawn soon after.

" **What of the clones?"** Isobu asked, **"They dealt with the mortals, it's thanks to them that he can probably return once the year actually starts."** Gyuki replied, his tails fishing in the mindscape as if waiting to catch rampant memories.

'That's a problem solved for their future selves.' Naruto cut in, before standing up and stretching some more, the suns light almost intensifying to allow him to enjoy the warmth. 'Right now, Chiron has summoned us to camp, something I told him not to do unless it was important. While it couldn't be life threatening…I doubt he would classify "important" as boredom.'

" **Go then."** A deep rumble echoed, and Naruto smiled, 'Kurama, enjoy your nap?'

" **It spares me from your endless drivel, it's impossible to dislike it."**

Naruto snorted along with Kurama's chuff. Naruto hopped on the balls of his feet to get the blood flowing, before he pulled out a ritualistic kunai like he had so many times before, and flourished it, spinning it so fast the blade seemed to vanish, before he caught it in a reverse grip, and crossed the blade with his other hand.

" _Hirashin"_ he mumbled, and he disappeared…a small breeze rustling the grass below, and the blade dropping through the air as he vanished, sinking into the stone without resistance.

XXX

The air whistled as if to announce his presence, and in that flicker he appeared, his coat flapping down by his sides as he almost floated to rest on the grass covered soil beneath him. Naruto appeared at the summoned destination, his eyes closed as to avoid the unnecessary disorientation when traveling long distances. His eyes opened, and his familiar blues took in the familiar nature as it suddenly seemed to flourish with new life to his presence. Naruto looked up and around casually, knowing that the camp he was summoned too was a safe place, but still on guard for surprise events.

He was in a relatively deep part of the forest, in a clearing that hardly held any sunlight. There was a ring of people, spirits, and each of them seemed to be staring at his appearance.

Naruto stood up straight, and smiled warmly, "You know, when we finished with that whole battle in California I thought I wasn't going to be needed for a while. Already in a sticky situation Chiron?" Naruto said with a small chuckled as he looked up at the age-old centaur.

Chiron laughed half humoredly at the blonde's words, "It seems the trials are not yet done, such is the life of…"

Naruto hid his snort, he was going to say Demigod wasn't he? He's a mortal, that wont change.

"So? What's up?" Naruto asked, a little curious at why he was summoned. He had stressed that his summoning be for emergencies…he wasn't to be called back for some idle chat.

"The Council is in Session!" a gruff and strangely high pitched voice ground out from the side, and Naruto turned, his eyes studying the speaker.

A short, plump, satyr.

In fact, there were three, three that he remembered. Looks like he has to go into business mode…

'What a drag.' He thought wistfully in remembrance of an old friend.

"Ah, Silenus, Maron…Leneus." Naruto said, clearly losing some of his cheer as he confronted the three, and walked forward.

Nearly tripping over a prostrate Grover as he practically hugged the ground. Quickly sidestepping him to avoid any misunderstandings, Naruto stepped forward in front of the three.

"Members of the Council of Cloven Elders." Naruto said, addressing them to their titles, "What's this about?"

"You were not invited." Silenus said flatly, "Please excuse yourself."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as the spirits all sharply intook a breath at the disrespectful tone. "I'm sorry? This appears to be an open trial, and I was summoned from more than 50,000 miles away. I don't know what constitutes for an invitation for you, but that certainly does it for me."

Silenus didn't budge, staring at him calmly without blinking. Naruto turned to the other two, who bore the same expression. Naruto turned to Chiron, "Maybe you should fill me in."

"This is a Trial concerning the revoking of Grover Underwood's Searchers Licence."

Naruto frowned and turned, examining the council members again, "I don't understand. The license is for exploration purposes. What exactly could cause it to be removed?"

"The searchers license is more than a permit." Maron said, his clear anger on the subject being subdued behind his biting words, "We support and fund their ability to travel. Saytr's around the country funnel a bit of their finances from their stations to fund these searchers, and as such they are given out to select few."

Maron glared at Grover, "Mr. Underwood has been given two extensions, his license extending more than 6 months, and he returns with these outlandish tales of his encounters with natural energies from the God Pan! Despite these stories, he has no evidence! No proof! This is an insult to the hardworking members that fund these searchers! Even sending a few of our own to search clearly preposterous locations!"

Maron gripped his seat tightly, before Leneus leaned over and gripped his arm reassuringly, taking over.

"It's been decided that he should be suspended from further expeditions until further notice." He said simply.

Naruto's eyes seemed to frown themselves as he tilted his head, "So you're saying the Golden Fleece on top the Hill that is guarded by Peleus is not proof of his findings? That the Erymanthian boar carrying us across the country was not proof of Pan's presence? From what I understand, Grover has been the only explorer to actually find these sources of energies, and even bring one home from the Sea of Monsters."

Naruto crossed his arms and frowned, "Even if his stories were complete crap, his successes cannot be written off as loosing expenditures."

Silenus seemed to grow increasingly angered as this went on, before his fist slammed down on his vine covered oak seat with a thud, "And who are you to decide!? We are the Council of Cloven Elders! These are _our people's_ finances!"

Naruto blinked…had he meant "our", including him…or the "saytrs only" kind of "our" …interesting.

"I'm not deciding. I'm _asking_." Naruto said strongly, "I don't see why suspending Grover's license is at all beneficial to your goal."

"And it doesn't have to!" Maron seethed, "It's not your place or business!"

'I guess that answers that.'

Naruto shot Maron a glare of his own though it was only a slight one, "I share the same goal as you. Grover Underwood has been the only satyr of note to actually succeed in any sense to his task. Penalizing him is not the answer to whatever problem you are facing."

Leneus looked to be trying to smooth the glowing red rage from his compatriots, "Nonetheless, it's our license to hand out…and to take away."

Naruto frowned, before sighing, "That is true."

Grover let out a weak whimper from the floor, and Naruto could hear the faint struggles behind him as the audience clearly didn't side with the council, on a moral or judicial standpoint.

"So maybe I attempted to solve this the wrong way." Naruto said, a hand on his chin in mock thought, before he reached into a pocket, and a small explosion of chakra poofed out. He withdrew it, and in his hand, was a leather pouch.

"How long is a hunter's license term?"

"3 months." Leneus answered despite the glares from his peers to stop.

"How much does it cost?"

"It covers basic supplies for the travel there and back, often times one way tickets due to the duration of the stay and possible chance of death."

"How much?"

"It changes per destination. A rough estimate would be, in mortal money, close to $15,000 per expedition."

Naruto's eyebrows shot open, that is a rather good number. Enough for a plane ticket, cover for transportation, and then supplies to survive in the wilderness till you ran dry or needed to come home."

A good package.

So these guys weren't incompetent.

But they didn't look frugal either.

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement to their answers, "how many explorers do you have at a time?"

"More than a few." Leneus said vaguely, and Naruto accepted that. They probably didn't want to give him an estimate of their financial power. It would be to critical information to share over a court case that it could decide the course of this case, or be used against them in the future.

"Are there no privileges to a license outside of financial support?"

"There are."

Naruto just sighed, well; he knew enough anyway, "So then, what is to stop Grover from searching without a license?"

"He will be refused aid and should he persist be detained and returned here. We do not wish to feed the monsters outside the barrier." Maron said uncaringly, and Naruto's brows furrowed at that.

There was a small scuffle behind him, and he heard Clarisse whisper, "Wrong fight Girlie, wait."

Naruto tilted his head, tilting it to the other like a metronome in thought, before suddenly, he grinned.

"Well, I doubt you would do anything if I asked you too." Naruto said, and he heard a grunt from Maron, "Of course not _human_."

Naruto ignored the scathing remark, and continued, "So if I understand correctly, the successful retrieval of the Golden Fleece does not count as a worthy expenditure?"

"He had received an extension after that."

"A fair call." Naruto nodded, "Then the Erymanthian granted him one as well?"

"No."

"Why?"

"It does not warrant an extention. If we were to reward every hint of Natural Energy, we would have run dry of funds a long time ago."

"A hint? It knocked him unconscious." Naruto said with a raised brow.

"He was always a Saytr with…weak constitution." Maron said with a sneer.

Some more scuffles in the audience, and Naruto was finding it harder and harder to keep a straight face. "So, if I am correct, the Erymanthian boar is only a hint of Natural Energy? Forgive me, what actually counts as a substantial amount?"

"It's not something that can be measured."

They were evading the point. This isnt going anywhere.

Naruto remained still for a moment, closing his eyes, before the air in the court changed, and the air around Naruto grew thicker as a faint green hue circled around his feet.

Naruto opened his eyes, and his Sage Chakra was on full display, with its strange silver shimmer.

"I will increase the output until it is deemed satisfactory."

'Let's see you ignore my point now!'

Naruto sat down on the grassy floor, and crossed his legs. He rested his hands laxly in his lap, and let out a slow breath. All around him, the aura seemed to intensify, before the Nature around him responded. The grass waved, the tree's groaned, the leaves whistled. Wind light danced in a circlular pattern around him, and the level of harmony in the area seemed to increase little by little.

The presence began to increase, and it seemed the spirits began to feel sleepy, the calming aura almost oppressive as the Saytr's in their council seats began to ooze into their chairs, but their angry expressions were hardly dampened as this human wielded a greater connection to Nature then they did.

"That's enough." Silenus said angrily, but weakly.

"I'm not quite finished, bear with me." Naruto said without opening his eyes.

Naruto began to up the pressure rapidly, drawing on the energy faster using his new enhanced affinity, and started rapidly compiling it into the area around him, soaking it down and heavily saturating it.

It got so strong even the demigod's that were present could start to feel it, and see it.

The greens and blues, and the glow in the forest life.

The Saytr's all-around started to faint, if not already unconscious. The council members were stubborn. Grover bleated weakly, and Naruto ignored it. This was for him, he couldn't afford to get distracted.

"This is roughly the level of the Erymanthian boar, if not on the weaker side." Naruto said simply, before moving once again and standing up, leaving the energy as it is.

"Is this "hint" of Natural Energy satisfactory to warrant an extension?"

Maron was unconscious, only Silenus and Leneus were holding on, though Leneus seemed more coherent.

"What evidence do you have to say this was the level of energy present in Nevada?" He asked slowly, clearly feeling the energy like a sleep drug, but remaining articulate.

"Members of the Hunt were present, and gave a similar report concerning the quests details. If the words the Gods trust arent satisfactory, I don't know what greater evidence I can provide."

' **Your improving.'** Kukuo said with a nod, and Naruto ignored her. Now wasn't the time to play part in two separate conversations.

"Very Well." Leneus said, and Silenus growled at him lowly, "Don't…you dare."

"An extension shall be warrented." Leneus said, and Silenus groaned in betrayal, "One week."

Naruto blinked, "One Week? As in what?"

"He will be given Seven days from today, at the end of the time limit, he is to return."

"Seven days is all that will give him? The Erymanthian isnt a small find."

"But it's gone, and so is the energy it arrived with."

…fuck.

"Seven days Grover Underwood. You've had a good long run, there is no shame in celebrating your laurels. Council, closed." Leneus said sleepily, before doing what he clearly was built to do.

Pass out wherever he wanted.

Fat little goat.

Naruto stared at the unconscious council members, before sighing. He didn't want to upheave their system. It sounded like they had an entire funding program and plan…it wasn't his place to disrupt it.

Even if he really wanted too.

Naruto sighed, before he reached down and patted Grover on the shoulder, "You've gotten closer than every other satyr, don't feel down, be proud."

Grover gripped the grass tighter, and Naruto frowned, before he grinned, "You got seven days…show em your stuff, and throw it in their faces. Who knows…maybe you might get another extension."

Grover slowly picked up his head, and stared right into Naruto's eyes, fire burning, and Naruto laughed, "I'll do what I can, but most of it is on you, your seven days starts now, I can teleport you anywhere in the globe."

Grover's eyes alight, he turned and rushed to his friends, not saying a word to Naruto, and the blonde just watched him go.

Maybe he wanted to do this with his own power…he could understand that.

Naruto turned and left the clearing…its been a little while since he was here last, maybe something has changed.

 **Heyya, so, for those who wish to know, your answers should be here.**

 **For one, the update schedule of this story is not set in stone. If you wanted an update every Thursday, it's not going to happen. I'm currently working two jobs and going to college. I will write when I can, and publish when I can. Trust me, I want to. I find this fun, but I'm unable to function without sleep.**

 **This story is somewhat tentative, I haven't lost the will to write it, but it isn't #1 on my "wanting to continue" list. Currently The Giant's Curse is taking up much of my free time, as I am having fun writing it, and am currently posting it frequently. Will that slowdown? Yes. Will I work on this story instead of 3000 people tell me to? No. I don't work that way. I write on a stream of conscious, it just kinda flows. If I'm not feeling it, I am not writing it. It's not something I sit down and grind; it's something I do to release when I'm feeling the burn to continue. I'm sorry if this bothers you, but I don't make money doing this, so there is no incentive other than myself actually writing it, and people enjoying it.**

 **So, to summarize! There is no schedule, there is no promise, and there is no release date for the next chapter. Apologies, and hopefully I don't die from this.**

 **Take care, and Safe Travels.**

 **-BetaMayhem, a Busy Mother******.**


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